Chen belongs to the “red second generation.” He lives in spacious courtyard home in central Beijing. A black Audi sedan with paramilitary license plates — almost de rigueur for Beijing’s power elite — can be seen in his garage.

And yet Chen says he must be careful in his critique of the Cultural Revolution. He’s criticizing himself, he emphasizes, not Mao. And he says he’s certainly not implying any criticism of China’s current leadership.

Red Guards still use the euphemistic jargon of the era, including terms such as “struggling” against class enemies. Critics point out that these vague terms could be considered to include acts such as murder, torture and imprisonment.

“I think the reason I’ve been able to give so many interviews is related to the way I frame these issues. Otherwise the government would have issued a gag order a long time ago,” Chen says, adding, “Well, actually they did issue a gag order.” [Source]